The Ride of Deveire
by This Is Da Vinci Speaking
Summary: The Knights and King Arthur decide to stop by Lady Deveire's castle...things end up very interestingly. [Holy Grail]
1. The Arrival of the Knights

Lady Deveire Zapaledy stood under a willow tree, watching the pair of deer as they stopped in front of her, unaware of her presence as they gently touched noses with each other, identifying each other. Deveire smiled to herself, hidden amongst the hanging leaves and vines of the weeping willow.

Suddenly the deer perked their ears and turned their heads towards a spot a few feet to Deveire's right. They quickly darted away.

"Lady Deveire!" someone called, coming out of the castle behind the willow tree. Deveire made an irritated noise and emerged from the drooping foliage, facing the person calling her name.

The monk jumped and clutched his throat, obviously startled. "Lady Deveire, you gave me quite a fright."

Deveire smiled. "Sorry, Brother Colin. I was watching nature run its course."

"I could see that," Brother Colin said lightly, dusting his robes off as if he had just come out of a dust- and dirt-ridden room. "Sorry for scaring off your friends…had I known you were watching them…."

Deveire shook her head, making her way back to the castle. "It's alright, Brother Colin."

She went back into the castle, the monk following her.

"A messenger came a few weeks ago," Brother Colin said, catching up to Deveire and walking beside her. "Apparently we're going to have guests in the morn…."

Deveire frowned a little, heading into the Lord's Tower where she lived. "Guests? What kind?"

"Well," Brother Colin piped up excitedly, "there's the king—"

Deveire whirled around, nearly tripping on the first step to the top level. "King _ARTHUR_?"

Brother Colin nodded and took Deveire's wrists in his hands. "He's coming tomorrow morning." He was grinning so much Deveire could see all of his teeth. "He's bringing the Knights of the Round Table with him. Isn't this exciting!"

Deveire looked absolutely thunderstruck. She stared at the young monk with wide eyes. "King…Arthur…is coming HERE? Why, Brother Colin, WHY?"

Brother Colin blinked, looking a bit confused. "You're not happy?"

Deveire spun back around and made her way up the stairs, bunching her huge skirts around her waist as she went up. "Am I not happy? Brother Colin, ARE WE GOING TO SHOW THIS CASTLE TO THE KING IN _THIS_ BLOODY STATE?"

Brother Colin winced at her language, running to keep up after Deveire. "We've been cleaning up and preparing for the king to come…."

"Oh!" Deveire cried, turning around, in the middle of the stone stairwell, to face the monk, and her eyes flashed with an almost insane anger. "Ohh, yes, prepare the entire castle but fail to mention it to the person who LIVES in it!" She continued up the stairs. "Oh, great. 'Lady Deveire, we've been cleaning the castle for a month because the king is coming and we wanted to let you know at the eleventh hour!' NO, I DON'T…_MIND_!"

She furiously kicked the wooden door open and trudged inside.

Brother Colin stood outside, looking crestfallen at the top of the stairs. "Milady…."

"Don't expect me for dinner," she said, and slammed the door in his face.

* * *

Deveire opened her eyes to the sound of Brother Colin screaming, which had been faint, and was steadily getting louder as he ran up the stairs in the Lord's Tower. Then, all of a sudden, the monk burst through the wooden door, out of breath, arms flailing.

"He's HERE! Milady, His Majesty is HERE!" He paused. "What are you DOING?"

Deveire raised an eyebrow from under the bed sheets. She was lying on her stomach with the bed sheets covering her entirely and with her feet on her pillows. "I was sleeping, Brother Colin," she muttered. "You should try it sometime."

"Byaw!" Brother Colin said, waving a dismissing hand frantically. "Get dressed, milady, King Arthur has arrived with the Knights of…."

But Deveire had already gotten out of bed and was now pulling on the outermost layer of her favorite sapphire blue velvet dress. Brother Colin blinked, and as Deveire walked by, she said, "You know all I really care about are the Knights, right?"

Brother Colin sighed and rolled his eyes, following her down the stairs and shutting the door behind him.

As Deveire entered the main chamber of the castle, she saw all them standing there, looking a little shy and confused. Yet there was a certain amount of bravery in their mannerisms.

"Good morning, my liege," Deveire said, curtseying as she made her way towards the king and his knights.

"Good morning," King Arthur said, bowing. "You must be Lady Zapaledy."

"Please, call me Lady Deveire."

King Arthur smiled. "I will most certainly. If you call me Arthur."

Deveire nodded in return. "That I will do, my liege." She looked at the Knights. "Good morning to you, fair knights."

Arthur turned to his knights. "Well? Don't just stand there and gawk, introduce yourselves!"

"I'm Sir Launcelot," said the tallest one. "Sir Launcelot the Brave."

"Sir Bedevere," the one with the stubborn helmet said.

"Sir Robin," added the one with the red hair. "Sir Robin the uh…Not-So-Brave-As-Sir-Launcelot." He glanced nervously at Launcelot as he said this.

"Sir Galahad the Chaste," said the one with the cute-ish face.

"Or so they say," all the other Knights and Arthur said in unison. This got a look from Sir Galahad.

Arthur sighed merrily. "Of course, you may all call them whatever they wish you to call them."

"Except for 'Bloody Peasant,'" Robin said. That got reprimanding looks from everyone, including Deveire.

Deveire motioned for them to follow her into the South Wing, where all the sleeping chambers were. "What brings you to Castle Adasia, Arthur?"

"Well," he began, "we had just gotten back from a battle—"

"During which Robin soiled his armour…."

"Galahad, hush," Arthur snapped, turning back around and failing to notice the slap fight Robin and Galahad started. "We had just gotten back from battle when a messenger came to us stating that Camelot had been destroyed."

"Devastating, really, it was," Galahad said to Deveire almost sarcastically, running away from Robin to walk sort of beside her. "'T'was a silly place."

Deveire grinned a little and went back to listening to Arthur.

"Since Camelot had been destroyed, we had no place to go. So I sent the messenger away to a castle that I had heard of…Castle Adasia. I asked him to ask the owners if it was alright that we would stay there until Camelot was rebuilt."

"Did they give the okay?" Robin asked, looking like a little kid listening to an adult telling a fairytale.

Everyone just stared.

Deveire finally got to the door leading into the South Wing. She stopped in front of it and turned to Arthur and the Knights. "Now, I assure all of you are welcome in this castle. However, since I am the Lady of Castle Adasia, I must set some ground rules. Rule Number One: No horses in the castle." Launcelot paled. Deveire looked at him oddly, then nodded. "Take care of it after I'm finished. Rule Number Two: Breakfast, tea, lunch, tea…tea, dinner, and tea. Point blank. No tardiness from any of you. Rule Number Three: Your rooms are not set in stone. If absolutely needed, you may trade rooms. Rule Number Four: No rooming together."

There was a long…_long_ silence after that, during which Deveire silently noted Launcelot's face turning red.

"Rule Number Five: No burning down the castle. Rule Number Six…well…there isn't a Rule Number Six. Rule Number Seven—"

"Wait," Bedevere interrupted. "How is there a rule seven…but no rule six?"

Deveire opened her mouth to say something…then frowned. "I really don't know. Rule Number Seven, the last rule: No raping the women in the castle. Including me. Especially me. Most importantly me."

They all nodded, then Deveire turned and opened the huge doors to the South Wing.

The Knights stared.

The entire length of the corridor was extremely holy, given the fact that every inch of wall from ceiling to floor was entirely covered in crucifixes. One long, slender red velvet carpet extended down the hall, and a spectrum of colours shone through the floor-to-ceiling stained glass window at the very end of the hall.

"I just thought of Rule Number Six," Robin whispered to Galahad. "No deeds that may be unholy are to be done in this wing."

"_That's_ the truth."

"Now," Deveire said, "I live in the Lord's Tower. I guess the most important rule is no one is allowed in that room. No guests, at least. Do you know where that is?"

They all shook their heads no.

"Good. Pick your rooms, get some rest, I'll meet you all tomorrow in the dining hall. If you need me before then, look for Brother Colin, and he'll come and get me."

And with that, Deveire strode out of the South Wing and shut the gargantuan doors behind her.

* * *

**Whew...my first Monty Python fanfiction! Let me know what you think.**


	2. The Stained Glass Wall

**You know, reviews are nice.**

* * *

"They're nice, aren't they?" Brother Colin said to Deveire as the two of them sat on a stone bench in one of the courtyards of the castle. "I thought they would've been more stuck-up, given that they are basically…well, famous." 

"Mhm," Deveire said quietly, tugging at her hair gently. "Yeah, they're nice."

Brother Colin looked at Deveire, frowning. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Deveire sighed. "I'm okay. I just…."

Brother Colin raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Deveire looked at her friend and smiled a bit. "Nothing. I'm just tired." She looked back at the ground. "None of them came for dinner, did they?"

"No, they didn't. Though neither did you."

Deveire shrugged. "I wasn't hungry…I barely got any sleep last night. I was up worrying about the castle and the king coming…I was pacing my room until dawn."

Brother Colin frowned. "Oh, you poor dear! Had I known, I would've let you sleep…."

"Heavens, no!" Deveire exclaimed. "I couldn't have slept through the arrival of the king!"

"Excuse me…."

Deveire and Brother Colin turned around and faced Sir Galahad, who was standing in the high archway leading to the courtyard. He was tugging on his tunic shyly and shifting his weight.

"Oh," he said quietly, "Lady Deveire…I was looking for you."

Deveire stood up and smiled. "Yes? What did you need?"

Galahad smiled, too. "I was just wondering…since I have nothing to do…could I get a tour of the castle?"

Deveire's face lit up. "Sure! I have nothing to do as well."

Brother Colin left through another archway, and Deveire walked up to Galahad and hooked her arm through his, which he was holding out for her. "Shall we?"

The two walked to the main chamber, and Deveire sighed quickly. "Okay, let's start here. This is the North Wing, or the main chamber. Obviously the main doors lead into here."

"This looks rather familiar," Galahad said in mock awe. "I feel like I've been here before."

Deveire laughed. "You have. You were waiting here before I came down this morning."

Galahad looked at her. "That was quite a while ago."

She nodded. "Seems that way, doesn't it?" She continued walking, turning into the West Wing. "In this direction are many rooms. The main kitchens, the lounge room, the Church –"

"You mean the South Wing isn't the church?"

Deveire shook her head. "It may seem that way, but no. I'll tell you about the South Wing once we get to it."

They continued throughout the whole West Wing, then they turned to the doors to the South Wing.

"Okay," Deveire sighed.

"Is this the end?" Galahad asked, looking questioningly at her.

"No!" she exclaimed. "This is the next stop."

She opened the doors, revealing the crucified walkway and rainbow wall.

"So," Galahad murmured, "there's a special meaning behind these doors?"

Deveire shrugged. "Not as special as the fact that this used to be the Church."

Galahad nodded. "That I can see."

"Until someone was killed in it."

Galahad looked at Deveire, his eyes wide with concern. "Someone was…killed…under the face of Jesus Christ?"

Deveire nodded, looking at the stained glass window. The picture was of a man kneeling on the ground, his head bowed, and Virgin Mary had her hand on his shoulders, standing in front of him. "Yes." Deveire looked at Galahad, who was looking back at the stained glass. It was darker now since it was sunset. "My lord was killed in this wing."

"Your husband."

"No. My best friend." There was a small silence, then Deveire closed the doors and brought Galahad to the East Wing.

"He made the stained glass wall. The man in the picture is him."

* * *

"Well," Galahad said quietly as he and Deveire approached the South Wing doors again. "Er…a lot of people…died in this castle…."

Deveire shook her head. "That was only during the war. It's over now." She opened the doors. "It's really late. You should at least get _some_ sleep."

Galahad nodded. "Thank you, Lady Deveire."

Deveire looked at him for a second, then smiled. "Call me Deveire. Good night, Galahad."

When Galahad disappeared into his room, Deveire slowly looked at the stained glass, which looked very eerie thanks to the light from the full moon. The ceiling was more than twenty feet tall, since it was the only wing that was the tallest height of the castle itself. Besides the Lord's Tower, the Guard Towers, and Tower Joseph, the ceiling in the South Wing was the highest.

As Deveire stared at the stained glass, she walked into the corridor, then closed the doors behind her. Because of the thickness of the iron and wood, all sound from the rest of the castle was completely put out when the doors shut. The only sound that remained was an echo of the sound the doors made when they shut. It was so quiet, Deveire could hear her own heart beating loudly in her chest.

The stained glass Virgin Mary's eyes glittered under the moonlight, and they appeared to be looking right at Deveire. Deveire, however, averted her focus to the crosses on the walls. Each and every crucifix seemed to be illuminated with beams of moonlight. As she slowly walked towards the stained glass, she failed to notice the religious figure getting steadily taller.

Deveire stopped and slowly looked ahead of her. Then she looked up…and up…and up.

The glass was a good forty feet up.

Suddenly, Deveire heard a loud clang as a door opened. She whirled around and saw Arthur standing outside his room, and he was sort of still. He squinted down the corridor, then stood up straight. "Lady Deveire?"

Deveire nodded, then turned back to the stained glass. She stood still as Arthur groggily walked up to her side, looking at the stained glass with his arms crossed behind his back and his eyes narrow.

"I have some cliché advice, milady." He didn't look at her, but she looked at him. "Follow your heart, my dear." When he looked at her, he smiled. His blue eyes twinkled merrily in the bright moonlight. "Even if your heart tells you to do something unadvisable…it may become a good thing. And besides," he shrugged and looked straight ahead of him, "how can you know if something is unadvisable if your heart is telling you to do it?"

Deveire blinked. "Er…."

"Exactly. Even if your heart is off its rocker…do what it says."

"Arthur…sir…why are you telling me this?"

Arthur was silent, then he looked at the ground without moving his head, and he was grinning. "You never know when you might need a good piece of advice." He sighed and turned around, walking back to his room. "Then again, I was attacked by a killer rabbit. Maybe I'm losing my mind. Goodnight, Lady Deveire."

Deveire blinked. "Uh…goodnight, my liege…."


	3. Lord Kelley Baron

He stood in front of her, his head raised towards the sky, his black eyes sparkling with determination. His black hair was held tightly together by a thick piece of string. In his right hand he held a long sword, slightly raised off the ground, ready for any sudden attack.

Deveire watched him. "Lord Kelley Baron…."

"You have no idea why you called me that," he said quietly but firmly, his deep voice echoing through Deveire's head. "You cannot explain yourself."

"Why would I need to?" Deveire asked, putting a hand on Lord Kelley's arm. "You already seem to know a lot."

Lord Kelley looked at her, a rare anger present in his face. "Deveire…life isn't always happy." He raised his sword. "This…is when things get serious."

A bright flash of light erupted from somewhere behind Lord Kelley, and he brought the sword down in one fluid motion, creating a gash in Deveire's arm. She screamed and woke up….

Deveire ran as fast as she could down the steps of the Lord's Tower, choking with tears and pain as she clutched her arm. Thunder reverberated off the stone walls of the castle, and flashes of lightning illuminated its entirety. Deveire sprinted across the main chamber and rammed into the doors to the South Wing with her shoulders, and they flew open and stayed that way.

Deveire ran past the crucifixes and threw herself at the ground underneath the stained glass wall. She held her arm tight against her stomach, sobbing as her own blood soaked her nightgown. She looked up and saw the Virgin Mary staring her down, the rain from outside creating tears on the coloured glass.

"Why," Deveire whispered in agony as a flash of lightning crackled in the sky. "Why do you do this? What are you doing, Kelley? What am I doing…what am I doing?"

Then, the South Wing went dark.

* * *

"I'm telling you, Deveire," Brother Colin said as he walked swiftly through the open doors of the South Wing, wringing his hands nervously. "How many nights are you going to lose sleep? GOOD LORD!"

Deveire slowly looked up at Brother Colin, holding her arm still, her eyes bloodshot and tired, and covered in dried blood. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice hoarse. She looked back at the stained glass wall. "I look right disgusting."

Brother Colin clutched his throat, shaking his head vigorously. "Oh my word…what…what happened, Deveire?"

Just then, the door to Galahad's room opened and he poked his head out into the corridor. "I heard a shout…everything alright?"

"Erm," Brother Colin stammered. "W-well…yes…everything's alright here, S-Sir Galahad. I uh…."

Deveire stood up and turned around, walking past Brother Colin and Galahad. "Sorry for waking you, Galahad. I accidentally cut myself on a stray nail from the crucifixes…." She stopped and turned around, smiling brightly. "Nothing you should worry about."

Robin and Arthur poked their heads out, too, seeing what was wrong. Bedevere and Launcelot followed suit…even though both of them came out of the same room.

"What's going on here?" Bedevere asked, squinting in Deveire's direction.

Deveire looked at Brother Colin, who stared at her, aghast and pale. He knew exactly what happened. He went quickly to her side and took her by the hands carefully as to not disturb the cut. "She accidentally injured herself on a nail…I'll get her cleaned up. It's…it's not that bad of a cut anyways, right, milady?"

As he said this, he lifted the sleeve of her nightgown and immediately pulled it back down. The cut was huge.

"Right," Deveire muttered. "I'll be fine."

Brother Colin dragged her out of the South Wing, then put his arm around her shoulders as if he were holding her up. "When did this happen?" he hissed.

"Last night," Deveire said, rubbing her forehead. "I had…a nightmare. Lord Kelley…."

Brother Colin stopped her and turned her to face him. He looked up at her, his face etched with distress. "Lady Deveire, you have to stop thinking about him…it's been nearly three years since he passed…please, let him go. For your own well-being…."

"Well, it's not like I can really help it, can I?" Deveire snapped, suddenly seeming wide-awake. "I told Galahad about the window." Brother Colin looked exasperated, but Deveire went on. "I had to, Colin. I felt obligated. He asked, and I told him. I had to tell him the truth, I was under more than a thousand Christ figurines…!"

Brother Colin motioned for Deveire to go back to the Lord's Tower. "It's okay…but you had to…Deveire, you asked for this. You asked for it yourself."

"Lady Deveire?"

Deveire and Brother Colin whirled around, and this time they were facing Robin. He was standing in the archway of the South Wing, and he was still.

Brother Colin interfered before Deveire could say anything.

"My good sir," he said, walking towards him. "Let me assure you that Lady Deveire is just fine, she just had an accident –"

"I know that wasn't an accident."

Brother Colin actually paused.

"We're all worried," Robin said, motioning to the other Knights. "Not just me." He looked at Deveire. "His Majesty wants to speak to you in his room…."

Deveire strode away from Brother Colin, muttering as she passed, "You can't snub the king, O good priestly man. That would be against everything, wouldn't it?"

* * *

One week later, Deveire sat in front of Galahad, tears running down her cheeks, her hands at her head. She kept shaking her head and taking deep breaths.

"Galahad," she said quietly, looking up. "You've become my best friend over the last few days…it hasn't even been that long, yet…I feel very close to you. I feel like I can tell you everything."

"Please do," Galahad said hastily, placing his hands lightly on Deveire's knees in a comforting gesture. "I mean…I feel in the dark…about why…about everything. For example…I don't know why…well, I don't know why you're crying…."

Deveire smiled and wiped her eyes with the handkerchief she was holding. "Anything else?"

"Yes, actually. Why is Brother Colin so…strange?"

Deveire blinked. "Well…that I don't know."

"Oh."

Deveire sighed and looked at her lap. "I think I should tell you about my lord."

Galahad nodded, listening intently.

Deveire took a deep breath and began her recollection of the event….


	4. Virgin's Battle

"Good morning Deveire," Lord Kelley said merrily, walking past her on his way out of the South Wing. She was walking out of the Lord's Tower. "It's a beautiful morning, isn't it?"

Deveire stared at him. "What?"

Kelley sighed and turned around, walking with her to the South Wing, even though he just came out of it. "I have to tell you something. You have to promise me you will keep this to yourself."

"Of course, Kelley," Deveire said, opening the doors and walking in, almost blinded by the sun rising through the stained glass window. "Although now I'm worried, since you rarely have secrets…."

Kelley stopped her under the largest crucifix on the wall and sighed. "Deveire…I'm…I'm…."

Deveire raised her eyebrows. "Yes?"

"I'm pregnant."

Deveire's jaw dropped, and she shoved him out of the church. "You evil, EVIL man! You cannot lie under a crucifix! Never mind a hundred of them!"

Kelley grinned as he stumbled out of the church. "One hundred twenty-five to be exact. I tried one hundred thirty, but not all of them would fit."

"NOT the point, Kelley!"

Brother Colin came up to them, smiling. "What's all the ruckus?"

"This man lied under Jesus!" Deveire accused, pointing an immature finger at Kelley, who was walking away, whistling. "He should be condemned to Hell!"

Brother Colin waved a dismissive hand at the retreating man and pulled Deveire in for her morning sermon. Once it was over, Deveire went into the dining hall to meet Kelley for lunch.

"You told on me," Kelley said, grinning as he stood by the long table. "Tattletale."

"I did nothing of the sort," Deveire gasped. "Evil man. Man Evil. Mr. Man Evil. SIR Evil."

Kelley threw a spoon at her. "You gave away my secret identity!"

Deveire and Kelley both had a good laugh, then Deveire leaned forward on the table towards him, her chin in her hand thoughtfully. "Why are you in such a good mood?"

Kelley's smile faded as he looked at the plate in front of him. "Actually…I'm not."

Deveire's smile faded as well.

"I appear to be happy…because I'm hiding the fact…that there will be a battle. There is a war going on…I have to fight in it, Deveire."

Deveire stood up and sat down in a chair beside Kelley, taking his hand in hers. "Kelley…why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

"Because I didn't want to worry you about it."

"Kelley!"

"Seriously, Deveire, you always worry about things like this. But I can assure you—"

"Kelley Baron, I cannot believe you. You think…you've been in ten battles in your entire life? Since when have I worried about any of them?"

There was a pause. "Erm…."

"Exactly."

Kelley shook his head and looked at Deveire. "I'll be alright."

Deveire raised an eyebrow. "Kelley. Do I look upset to you?"

Kelley stayed silent for a moment, then brought Deveire into a tight hug. "That's my girl!"

"Kelley…Kelley, you're…choking me…."

* * *

_There is a war going on_, Deveire thought to herself as she sat on the floor of her room in the Lord's Tower, hugging her knees to her chest. _There is a war going on in my castle_. _Underneath me…under these floorboards lies a war of two worlds. One is me. The other isn't._ She shuddered. _Kelley is under these floorboards. He is fighting._ A horrible thought occurred to her. _If Kelley dies…then they will get to me. I am too young to die…I'm only eighteen…Kelley is only thirty…WE'RE TOO YOUNG TO—_

"DEVEIRE!!!"

Deveire stood up faster than lightning, hearing the dreaded shout of her name coming from her best friend in the entire world. This was the sound Deveire was least excited about hearing.

She shot out of the Lord's Tower, disobeying her orders to stay in her room no matter what happened. She sped down the steps and into the main chamber, nearly slipping on the marble floor, partially due to the fact that it had puddles of water on it…water and blood. Yet this didn't faze Deveire. She'd seen blood before. There was one person she didn't want to see blood coming from, and that was….

"Kelley…."

Deveire stood in the archway of the South Wing, staring with horrified eyes as Kelley was held up by the throat, the hand of an unknown knight clutching his neck. The two, Kelley and the knight, were in the middle of the corridor, silhouettes against the flashes of lightning coming from outside the stained glass wall.

"NO!!"

The knight's sword went through Lord Kelley, and he threw him to the ground, pulling his sword out of his stomach.

Deveire ran towards the knight, grabbing Kelley's discarded sword from off the ground. She lunged at the knight, swinging the sword out at him. Knight was caught off-guard, and he dueled with Deveire for a while before she became weak with grief. Knight swung his sword down on Deveire's arm, creating a deep gash. Knight ran away.

Deveire threw herself to the floor underneath the stained glass wall, tears streaming down her cheeks as the knights left the castle, deciding they had done enough.

The Virgin Mary had tears of rain. So did Lord Kelley as Mary's hand rested on his shoulder.

Deveire looked at Kelley's reflection in the glass. He was gone. He lay there, no longer with Deveire, even though he physically was with her.


	5. Many Stages of Grief

Galahad stared at Deveire, his jaw wide open. "Deveire…."

Deveire shook her head. "I didn't know what I thought I would do…I was eighteen, and I could barely maneuver a suit of armour, let alone a sword…what was I going to do, slap the knight to death?"

"Deveire…."

"For God's sake…he was at least three times bigger than Kelley…."

"Deveire…."

"And poor Brother Colin just didn't know what to do with himself…there had been a murder in _his_ church…."

"Deveire…."

"_What_, Galahad?"

"Deveire," Galahad swallowed. "Just…how tall was this knight?"

The two stared at each other for the longest time, then comprehension dawned on Deveire's face. Yet this was not good comprehension. This comprehension was…bad comprehension.

Very bad.

* * *

Galahad ran as fast as he could out of the West Wing and into the South Wing. He swore to himself that he had never run that fast in his life.

"LAUNCELOT!!" he screamed, throwing the doors open and diving into Launcelot's door. "LAUNCELOOOOOT!!"

Launcelot opened his door and was tackled immediately. "What the—?"

"Launcelot, you must leave the country."

The knight blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"You're in a load of danger right now…."

"Why?"

Suddenly there was a BANG so loud the entire castle shook. Launcelot and Galahad looked at the doors, which had been thrown open so forcefully that they stuck to the walls. The stained glass window rattled with the force put behind that.

Galahad buried his face in Launcelot's tunic in a grieving manner, and Deveire strode over to them both, her fist clenched so tightly that bruises started to form where her nails made contact with her skin.

"Sir Launcelot," she whispered in a deadly tone through her teeth. "You had better tell me one good reason why I'm giving you the Look of Death. Let me hear you say it."

Launcelot blinked. "I really don't…."

Deveire grabbed Launcelot by the shoulders and shoved him against the wall, causing the other knights to come out of their rooms.

"Oh sweet Jesus…." Galahad whispered in awe, watching as Deveire held a dagger to Launcelot's throat, even though he was much taller than her.

Arthur crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. Bedevere slapped his helmet on, and Robin hid behind Arthur.

"Er…" Launcelot said nervously. "Is there any particular reason why you're holding me at knifepoint? Are you PMSing?"

"You killed Lord Kelley Baron."

The silence killed everyone's ears. Crickets came out of nowhere and started chirping.

"Why does that not surprise me," Arthur finally muttered. "He kills everyone in sight."

"So," Deveire screamed in Launcelot's face, "you came in during the middle of a battle that had NOTHING to do with you, and you…KILL the man I loved!"

Launcelot looked at Arthur with nervous eyes, and Galahad attempted to pull Deveire away from Launcelot. This was easier than anyone thought, as she jerked away from Launcelot and threw the dagger at the ground.

"You know what? This isn't worth it. I want you to go over there," she pointed to a spot a few feet away from where they were standing, "and pluck every blood-stained fiber out of the ground. Do it."

She ran out of the South Wing, fuming, and Galahad looked at the other knights, torn about what he should be doing.

Arthur sighed and waved a hand towards Galahad. "Go on."

Galahad obliged, following Deveire.

* * *

Deveire ran right into Galahad as they both turned a corner at the same time.

"Good to see you, Galahad," Deveire said, grabbing the front of his tunic and pulling him behind her. "I want to show you something."

Feeling very lightheaded, Galahad nodded. "Er…right-o…."

The two traveled down a set of corridors that had barely been walked upon, and Deveire slowed her pace and let Galahad go, as if calming down with every step she took.

"Deveire," Galahad said quietly, "where are we going?"

Deveire concentrated ahead of her, looking almost helpless. "We're going to see Lord Kelley Baron."

Galahad's eyes widened. "But…Deveire…he's…."

"I am fully aware of the fact that he's dead, Galahad." She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "We're going to his grave."

This rendered Galahad speechless. But not for long.

Galahad stopped and grabbed Deveire's arm, pulling her to stand beside him. "No," he said firmly. "No…what are you _doing_? Bloody hell, Deveire, you're going to visit his _grave_? Are you _mad_?!?"

Deveire stared at him.

"If there is anything you _don't_ need," he said, looking directly at her, "it's to visit your dead friend."

"How insulting—"

"Right now, I don't care. If anything, you're _asking_ for all this pain…and I'm drunk, because these are not my words…."

Deveire slapped Galahad and continued walking down the corridor.

"Yeah okay _ow_," Galahad said, then ran to catch up with Deveire. "You can't go to him!"

"Why not, Galahad?! Why can't I go see my best friend in the whole world, Galahad?"

Galahad stomped a foot and flailed his arms with every word he said next. "Because…he's…DEAD."

"Don't tell me that!"

"Why not, Deveire? Why can't I tell my very good friend that she can't handle anymore pain, Deveire?"

"It's not fair! You're not the boss of me!"

"No, but I am your…FRIEND."

Deveire clutched her head, turned away from Galahad, and then turned back. "And…what is that supposed to _mean_?!?"

"It means I bloody care, Deveire!"

"You don't care about anything!"

Galahad grabbed Deveire's arms and pushed her up against a wall, his face inches away from hers. "Listen to yourself, would you? You're…you have no idea what you're _saying_."

Deveire looked right into Galahad's eyes and frowned. "I do know—"

"Then why did you just insult me?"

There was a long silence, and Deveire and Galahad looked at the floor. Deveire swallowed. "I'm sorry, Galahad. I just…this has been very stressful on me in the past week…."

Galahad shook his head. "That makes two of us."

Deveire noticed Galahad was still holding onto her arms. "Are you uh…going to let go of me anytime soon?"

Galahad looked up. "Hm? Oh!" He let her go hastily. "Sorry…."

The two faced away from each other, red with embarrassment.

Galahad looked up and out of the corridor, hearing the faint sound of someone calling his name. "Launcelot…."

"I really don't want to see him right now…."

"I know," Galahad whispered, looking around. He noticed a room with an open door and looked at Deveire. "Shall we hide?"

Deveire nodded and they both dove into the room, shutting the door behind them.

"Erm," Galahad murmured. "It's actually…quite dark in here."

"….Yeah, I sort of noticed that, too."


	6. The Dark Room and the Rabbit

**Hm...

* * *

**Launcelot came back to Arthur and the other knights, shrugging and shaking his head. "Can't seem to find him." 

Bedevere slapped him on the back of the head. "Why'd you have to go and kill Deveire's lord, you nasty person?"

Launcelot rubbed his head. "I didn't mean to…."

"Where do you suppose Galahad and Deveire are?" Robin asked, still hiding behind Arthur. "You don't think they…."

"I highly doubt that, yet I highly would not be surprised," Arthur sighed, turning around and staring at Robin oddly.

"Oh God Almighty," Bedevere hissed. "Galahad…he can't…."

Arthur shushed him and motioned for all the other knights to go back to their rooms. "He won't." He paused. "But the next time you see him, make sure he's not literally the color blue, would you?"

The Knights nodded, groaning with exasperation as they retreated into their rooms again.

* * *

"Deveire."

"Hm?" Deveire muttered tiredly.

"You don't think you could…find some light or something?"

Deveire blinked…which was pointless since she couldn't tell if her eyes were closed in the first place. "Erm…I think we can leave the room altogether…."

"Good luck finding the door."

"Bloody hell…."

"Exactly."

Deveire attempted moving around the room, but she tripped and fell on something. "How many times have I done that in my lifetime?" she asked sarcastically.

"Not enough, apparently," came a voice from directly underneath her. "Deveire…ow."

Deveire realized she had tripped on Galahad. "Oh for crying out loud…this is so cliché."

"For what? Getting trapped in a room with no light?"

"Sure, why not?"

Deveire tried getting off Galahad, but apparently he kept moving when she did.

"Galahad…Galahad, sit STILL!"

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I _am_ still."

Deveire froze. "Oh my god…."

All of a sudden Deveire found the door and ran screaming out of the room. She ran into the wall across from the room and turned around, making sure Galahad was behind her.

He was, but he was carrying a rabbit in his hands as he came out. Deveire blinked several times.

Galahad set the rabbit down onto the ground, and it hopped towards Deveire once. She screamed and ran at Galahad, throwing her arms around his neck.

Galahad blinked. "You're afraid of rabbits?"

"Most."

Galahad sighed. "This is ironic." The rabbit hopped back into the room, and Galahad looked at Deveire, who still had her arms around his neck. He laughed. "You're pathetic, Deveire."

She stuck her tongue out at him and let go, dusting her hands off.

"You feeling better?" Galahad asked quietly.

Deveire looked at him and nodded, suddenly very calm. "Yes…a bit. Although the dark room and the rabbit…." She fell silent and stared ahead of her. Galahad looked to see what she was looking at, but he saw nothing. He made eye contact with her. "Galahad…?"

"Yes?"

Deveire's eyes widened, and she looked ahead of her again. "Where those supposed to represent something?"

"What?"

"The dark room and the rabbit."

"Oh Jesus."

Deveire shrugged. "I go for the symbolism."

"Really," Galahad grinned. "I had no idea."

"Well," Deveire sighed, walking in an exaggerated form past Galahad, "just forget you then."

Galahad grabbed her arm, though, and before she could protest, he pulled her to him and kissed her softly, one hand holding hers. Deveire's ears rang and little lights went off in her head.

"Galahad," she muttered, resting her forehead against his. "I have to ask you something."

"Hm?"

She pushed him away from her. "What in the name of MERLIN was that?!"

Galahad raised an eyebrow. "A kiss…and coming from the Chaste, no less…." He frowned as he said this, trying to make sense of it all.

Deveire suppressed a grin and grabbed the front of Galahad's tunic. "I know it was _something_," she murmured, pulling him to her. "But I'm not sure it was necessarily a _kiss_."

Galahad, who was already feeling lightheaded, felt absolutely in the air as Deveire pulled him into the dark room with the rabbit by the front of his tunic.


End file.
